Facing the Enemy
by midatlantic
Summary: Sequel to A Second Chance.  Jack faces his worst fears with the support of Blaine, Kurt, Burt and the rest of the gang.


_Hello all. Welcome to the start of the Sequel of A Second Chance. You will be completely lost if you have not read that first. To those of you who followed me through that ride... welcome back!_

_I have no idea how long this will be. It will be intense however, as it will explore Jack facing Tom. This will include flashbacks that may be very deep. I will give specific warnings on those but please view this also as a general disclaimer._

_Finally I of course do not own any of the Glee characters. Jack, however, is mine so please ask before borrowing. Thanks._

_Here we go!_

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

Jack pulled his marching hat down firmly on his head. He corrected his posture and ensured that his back was straight and his chin was up. He glanced sideways at his row mates and stifled a grin at how amazing they all looked in full Ohio State Marching Band regalia. It was a very smart outfit, all in dark navy with a white shirt, black tie and the white cross belts. The hats of course had the scarlet and gray feather plume coming out the top. At first Jack thought that this frippery was lame, but when he saw the band in full force he realised that the overall effect was quite startling. Now he struggled with the rest of the crew to keep his feathers clean, straight and unbroken.

The gym at McKinley High was packed. The Principal of the school, Mr Schue, or something, stood at the front and waited for quiet. The students were about as rowdy as he remembered kids at his high school being. It felt very weird being back in a high school and he had to keep a handle on his nerves each time he walked through a different school's doors. This was a part of the deal though. Several times a month local middle schools and high schools would request representatives of the band to do a workshop for their schools. The Band Director loved it as it boosted recruitment and gave the cadets frequent opportunities to practice.

Today it was the turn of the "Trumpet Cheer" section. Jack watched as his Row Leader, Evan, stood up and took the microphone. He addressed the school briefly in his usual charming way. Evan was just effortless with this kind of thing. He was a senior and had been one of the leaders in the band now for two years. He had such natural poise and wit that within minutes the gym was silent and soaking in his every word. Jack fought the urge to stare dreamily at him. Evan was the stuff of fantasies, tall, with soft light brown hair, an athletic body and an easy smile. He was also a big hit with the ladies but as Jack felt that he was way out of his league anyway, the fact that he seemed straight did not prevent Jack from crushing on him hard.

Evan led the ten band members at this event in to a trumpet rendition of Hang on Sloopy much to the delight of the kids. Then they marched a figure of eight, demonstrating their flawless technique of crossing without clashing instruments. It had taken hours of mind numbing practice and drills to perfect this but the effect was worth it. Finally the recruits finished out on a modern version of "We Will Rock You" which had the kids all stamping their feet and clapping in rhythm. Overall it was a big success and the Principal with curly hair, wide smile and weird name came over afterwards to thank them.

On the way out, Jack decided to take a sneak look at the school that Kurt and Blaine had been in together. He feigned an excuse to use the bathroom and then proceeded to get himself intentionally lost so that he could wander the halls looking at all the noticeboards and trophy cabinets. In one, nestled in a dusty corner, a large National Championship cup stood dated 2012. Jack whipped out his mobile to take a photo which he promptly emailed to Blaine, knowing that he actually checked his messages regularly. Kurt had asked specifically that Jack look to make sure that the cup was still there and had not been defaced in any way.

Feeling that his job was done, he tried to retrace his steps back to the main entrance to meet his friends. He peered briefly in to classrooms full of students as he went and thanked his lucky stars that he no longer had to deal with the nightmare of high school. He loved college. He didn't feel up to managing the dorms yet and so was still living at home with Burt and Carol but the band was trying to convince him to move in to the fraternity house with them for his Junior year in September. He was considering it and felt all warm and gooey that they were even asking.

As Jack passed one door, he heard a voice that made his insides drop. He clenched his fists and felt his blood pressure soar. His feet turned to lead and he was unable to move forward. His head filled with static as the voice broke in through the fuzziness. It was him. There was no mistaking that voice. He was directing someone to sit down and Jack fought with his body not to obey instantly. He was terrified.

A burst of adrenaline shot through Jack and he had an insane urge to bolt through the corridors away but then he heard Blaine in his head. "Are you sure? Jack you need to know for sure." Jack swallowed the lump in his throat and slowly inched forward until he could see through the crack of the open door. He looked around him quickly but mercifully the corridor remained empty. He would have some very difficult questions to answer if someone came upon him now. He steeled himself and waited for the teacher of the class to come in to his obscured line of sight.

There was no mistake. The bile rose quickly in his throat and he clamped his lips shut taking in deep, ragged breaths. He felt for certain that the whole school must be able to hear him rasping but the teacher in the room took no notice, he called on another student and carried on teaching the history lesson. Jack knew that he would recognise that face, voice and mannerisms anywhere. His tormentor was there.

Finally his urge to vomit over took his abject terror and deep need to curl up in a ball on the ground and rock. He bolted back to a bathroom that he had passed and emptied his stomach in to the nearest toilet. He was shaking and scared. He did not know how to get a handle on himself.

His phone vibrated in his pocket with a text.

Blaine: That's awesome dude. How weird that you are in McKinley. Can't wait to hear all about it. Kurt is turning cartwheels with excitement over the trophy. It brings back some great memories. I am so proud of you Jack. Call soon.

Suddenly he felt anchored. He was no longer the tormented, lonely boy with no one to run to for help. He was a strong, capable young man with a family who loved him. He stood up and cleaned himself up at the sink. With dawning clarity he realised that he had to get out of the school before the end of the lesson as he could not be seen and risk being recognised. He straightened his tie, put his hat back on his head and stared at his reflection in the mirror.

He was Jack Connor, sophomore at Ohio State University and foster son of Burt and Carol Hummel. He had nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. With that pep talk he strode out of the bathroom and down the hall away from the classroom. He walked confidently as though he did not have a care in the world and gave off the air of someone very much in control of his destiny. Kurt was not the only actor in the family and Jack had learnt from the best.

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><p>That night, at home in his room, the façade began to crumble. Jack thought he had done just enough to get by Carol and Burt but he was not sure. They were certainly looking at him weirdly as he tried to force down each mouthful at dinner in to his already churning stomach. He had passed this off though as just being stressed about upcoming midterms.<p>

He had also put off calling Blaine and now had a missed call on his phone. He knew he needed to answer it soon but he also knew that he would not be able to lie to Blaine well. He just needed time to think.

His mind was transfixed by the voice. A part of his brain quivered in the background. Did he see me? Did he recognise me? Jack clamped down on the questions hard. He knew logically that it was very unlikely. He was in full band uniform. Thank God for the hat. Carol always complained that the hat made it almost impossible to spot Jack in the band. If she, looking for him, could not recognise him, then there was no way that monster could possibly have spotted him. He was not expected. His name had not been stated out loud and he would have been totally out of context. Sadly, there was only so much that those reassurances helped.

He knew that the second that he let on to Burt, Blaine or anyone else for that matter that he had seen Tom and that Tom was teaching at a high school, all hell would break loose. He was not ready for that. A long time ago, on a tree stump in the middle of a park, Blaine had asked him if he had thought about reporting Tom to the police. He had been very clear in his answer then as he was now. No way.

But he could hear the voice of his conscience in his head. All those children that were exposed to Tom. All those lives that he could choose to ruin. What if the next victim was not as lucky as he had been? What if there was someone trapped with Tom currently, feeling that he too had no way out?

Jack crumpled in to a small corner of his room, squashing himself between his desk and the wall. He put his hands over his ears and tried to block out the recriminations that were now taking the shape of his father's voice. "This is your fault, Jack. You could have stopped him. You are so selfish to sit here enjoying your own life. How dare you not think of others less fortunate than yourself." Jack sobbed in to his knees and held on to his shins tightly, rocking on the spot.

He tried to drown out the sounds by humming to himself but he could not get the noise to stop. Bit by bit he began to tap his head against the wall beside him, softly at first but then harder and harder. He was distantly aware that his humming was getting louder too, but it wasn't quelling his father's voice. He tried to quieten the sobs that were racking through the humming but he was aware that he was steadily losing control. Then in the distance he started to hear screaming; screams that were being pulled from somewhere deep, distant and foreign to Jack. He tried to quieten his own noise to help the person screaming but his throat just would not close. He could barely draw breath before the next wail would start. His throat was raw, his head was hurting, and he realised with a rush of despair that the screams were coming from him.

The door to his room smashed open as Burt kicked through the lock. Carol ran around the bed as fast as possible pulling Jack away from the wall and in to her arms. Jack's hands remained firmly clamped over his ears but the hard embrace of the wall was replaced by a softness and warmth. A strong grip held him as he sunk in to her body and he could hear the screams quieten in to racking sobs.

He was dimly aware of the desk being pushed to one side. Then another strong hand held him. He allowed his tired brain to fixate on Carol's voice and relaxed in to the feminine sound. He became aware that with the extra space he now was able to fully crawl in to her lap, burying his face in her neck and sobbing in to her top. She smelled like warmth, safety and home. It was everything that he could hope for at that moment.

After a while, he had no concept of how long, he felt gentle but firm hands, grip him under his arms and move him towards the bed. He clung tightly to the softness and warmth and was relieved when it moved with him. He was settled on the quilt with Carol beside him holding him to her tightly. He was aware of Burt further down the bed rubbing his shin through his jeans.

Slowly he felt himself unwinding and lost track of his surroundings. He rubbed his face in to the scent of home and let himself fall in to the warm embrace of sleep.

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><p>He woke at various stages through the night and the next day. He was always aware that Carol was in the room with him. Sometimes she would be on the bed next to him snuggled under a throw. At other times, in the daylight, she was pottering around on the computer, or offering him bites to eat or drink. Dimly he was aware at different stages of other people in the room. Once a bright light was shone it to his eyes and something cold was pressed on his chest but when he began to whimper at this, Carol was there once again, offering her softness and warmth. He never held on to the light for too long. There were too many things clamouring at the edge of his consciousness that he knew that he did not want to face. Sleep was easier. Oblivion was his friend.<p>

Finally he became dimly aware that something had shifted in the room. There was a new presence. A new warmth and familiarity. Jack struggled with his brain because a large part of him told himself that he really wanted to be awake for this. He fought the pull to stay under for a little while longer, and cracked open one eye.

It took a minute to focus on the person sitting next to his bed. But then the dark, curly hair came in to focus and the concerned smile broke through.

"Buddy, you scared us."

Jack felt himself come to with a jolt. He launched himself on the occupant of the chair and started sobbing all over again.

"Blaine," was all he could manage as he allowed himself to be enveloped in a warm embrace.

"It's OK Jack. I've got you. I'm right here."

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><p><em>Oh Jack!<em>

_Please review : )_


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